Hammock



(No Model.)

G. B. FRENCH. HAMMOGK.

No. 507,426. Patented Oct. 24, 1893.

Even Z07.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. FRENCH, OF FREMONT, NEBRASKA.

HAMMOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 507,426, dated October 24, 1893. Application filed August 19, 1891- Serial No. 403,105. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. FRENCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fremont, in the county of Dodge and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hammocks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in hammocks, and it has for its object to provide a novel arrangement of the ropes supporting the body of the hammock whereby a vibratory movement may be easily obtained and regulated as desired, and wherein a person may recline at ease, with the body in a straight and natural position and practically at any desired angle of inclination without interfering with the equipoise or proper balance of the hammock.

With these and other ends in view, my invention consists in providing a suitable frame, which is covered with wire netting, canvas or slats, and swinging said frame from a single transverse rope or wire by means of short ropes fastened to standards in the corners of the frame and to adjustable clasps on the transverse rope. To regulate the movement of the frame, I provide guy ropes on both ends thereof which are fastened to the transverse rope or wire at the desired points in such a manner as not to interfere with the supporting ropes.

My invention consists further of certain details of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a side view of ahammock, showing the supporting ropes attached to the transverse rope near the middle thereof, and close together. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the support ing ropes attached to the transverse rope some distance apart; and Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the clasps. I

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings, referring to which A designates the body or frame of the hammock which is of any desired form and size and is covered with wire netting,'canvas or the purpose of my invention.

slats. At each corner of the frame A is secured a short upright post or standard a which standards are secured in position in any suitable manner. If desired, braces may be substituted for the standards a and in either case the standards or braces extend or project slightly above the frame A.

The vibratory motion of a weightsupported by a slack rope or wire depends, first, upon the amount of power applied thereto; second, upon the position upon the rope where the weight is attached; third, upon the distance of the weight from the slack rope if suspended therefrom. Thus,a weight suspended from a slack rope would take a longer vibratory motion and sustain such motion a greater length of time with the same power if suspended at a single point equi-distant from the fixed ends of the rope thanif the same weight were distributed along the entire length of the slack rope, or if suspended from one or more points distant from the center of said rope. Again, a weight suspended from a slack rope would take and sustain a longer vibratory motion, with the same power, if distant from the slack rope than it would if but slightly removed therefrom, and its capacity to take and sustain a vibratory motion would be proportionate to the distance of the weight from the supporting slack rope or wire.

A single rope, wire or cableB is attached at its ends to suitable uprights or supports 0, such as a house and tree as shown in Fig. 1 or posts suitably secured in the ground as shown in Fig. 2, and said rope B is of such length as to have sufficient slack to answer On the rope B are fitted two clasps D adapted to be connected to the hammock supporting ropes. Each of the claspsD consists of a block d provided near its upper end with a transverse passage f through which the rope B freely passes; and through the lower portion of the block at is passed a ring E which ring is loosely connected to and extends in the direction of the length of the block d. The blocks (1 are provided with set screws (1 which extend into the passage f therein and are adapted to hold said clasps firmly on the rope B.

The rings E and standards or uprights a on the frame A are connected by ropes c e, which support the body or frame of the hammock.

These ropes may be of any suitable length and as the standards a to which they are at tached, extend or project above the frame A said ropes do not interfere in anyway with a person getting in or out of the hammock. By this construction and arrangement of parts the supporting ropes can be adjusted close to each other by moving the clasps D on the rope B and securing them in place by the set screws (1', as shown in Fig. 1 and a greater vibratory movement obtained from a given amount of power or force then can be obtained from the same amount of power if the upper ends of said ropes are separated as shown in Fig. 2.

To prevent too much swaying or tipping of r the hammock I provide stay or guide ropes F i which are attached at theirlower ends :to the standards a or any other portion of the frame 1 A and have their upper ends attached to the rope B between the supports 0 thereof and the points of attachment of the supporting ropes e, 6. These ropes e, e, and the guy ropes F govern the movement of the frame A, and assist in regulating the vibratory motion thereof as they can be lengthened or shortened as desired, so as to move the frame toward or away from the transverse rope B. They also regulate the inclination of the frame when it is desired to have one end thereof higher than the other, by shortening those on the end of the frame it is desired to elevate, or lengthening those on the end it is desired to depress.

When two parallel uprights or standards 0 are employed, similar to those shown in Fig. 2, I preferably connect said standards or posts, above the points of attachment of the transverse rope B, by a cross bar or beam G.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportionof parts and details of construction of the devices herein shown and described as an embodiment of my invention can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages thereof, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes and alterations as fall within the scope of my invention. For example, though I have shown the clasps D as consisting of blocks d provided with passages f to receive the rope B and havingthe rings E at their lower ends, yet I would not be understood as intending to limit or confine myself to this exact construction as I am aware that a ring of such size as tomove freely on the rope B can be substituted for the blocks d and be pivotallyconnected or swiveled to the lowerring Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as newpand desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a hammock, the combination of aslack rope or cable, movable clasps fitted on said slack rope, set screws carried by the clasps and bearing against the slack rope to hold the clasps in any desired position thereon, rings loosely connected to the clasps and a frame suspended from said rings, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a hammock, the combination of the cable, the clasps and set screws, the suspended frame and the guy ropes, all substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

In-testimony whereof I affixmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE E. FRENCH. Witnesses:

W. W. STICKNEY, JOHN G. SARGENT. 

